{image1} Once again, the collective noses of Milwaukee Brewers fans have been bloodied. Once again, sportswriters and broadcasters found their copy on the front pages of newspapers and leading off news shows across the state. And once again, politicians tallied votes while pointing fingers from atop their soap boxes.
Whether or not you believe the scales of blame are tipped against Brewers management, these powerful groups will have a voice in determining the future of Major League Baseball in southeast Wisconsin.
So who's helped and who's hurt the Brewers?
In the first part of this three-part series, we looked at Ulice Payne and the team ownership. In this installment, we'll examine the media, the politicians and the fans.
Next week, we'll conclude with a look at the industry of baseball and its labor union to see how they have contributed to this unraveling situation.
First, though, a quick recap:
After weeks of infighting between Ulice Payne and the Board of Directors, it'll now come down to months of damage control. Can the pieces of Bernie "Humpty" Brewer be put together again?
While Payne quietly (thanks to a gag order) counts his money, the Brewers are left with extinguishing the flames of this latest firestorm. While paid consultants toe the party line, Doug Melvin tries to do his best. He's not in an enviable position.
In the past, time had rescued the Brewers. The club certainly has that in its favor. History has proved that time helps many forgive and forget, especially when the spring blooms on a new baseball season.
But will it this time? Will fans come back? Will the media let up? Will politicians redirect their attention to their own elections?
The Media:
As much as the media would like you to believe that they only report the news, the media need to sell newspapers, secure readers, lure listeners and tune in viewers, and whether they admit it or not, these factors color their coverage.
This is nothing new. It's just doing business.
The media works with information, and when information is handed to it, it must report it. Many believe that the media jumped at the story when Payne came forward with his side of the story. They did.
At first, the coverage in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and in its sister station, WTMJ-620 AM, was completely one-sided. Feel free to blame the Brewers on that one. Their front office, with its utter lack of good PR sense (despite the efforts of its own handcuffed staff), remained totally quiet on the issue, forcing the daily paper to report just what it knew at the time.
Other radio and TV stations jumped on the bandwagon following the front page "news," as they too often do, and reported the same story almost verbatim. Right or for wrong, that's what spurred the lopsided reaction and buried the Brewers and its Board of Directors.
But as the days followed, the media, as well as the Brewers, realized that it was a shared responsibility to offer another opinion. Was it too little to late? Perhaps.
From the media standpoint, it fulfilled its obligation.
It isn't the media's fault for doing its job. Its purpose is to convey. Words are powerful, and sometimes, it's how the message is delivered that sways public opinion.
And keep in mind that the newspaper has a lot to gain from sports in Wisconsin. The sports section, in fact, is one of the most read parts of the paper. And here's something you won't read too often: Journal Communications, along with many other companies in Wisconsin, hired lobbyists to help get Miller Park built. It's no different than the Tribune Company, which owns the Cubs and the Chicago Tribune, looking out for its best interests. These giant media companies make business decisions, and while we're not questioning their journalistic integrity, such conflicts are worth noting.
Finally, Ulice Payne was a member of the board of directors of Journal Communications (he stepped down before this controversy unfurled) and is a respected businessman in the community. The Selig family, so loathed by its readers, was a (perhaps well-deserved) easy target for newspaper columnists.
There's no right or wrong here. The media is not judge and jury. You are.
How the media has helped the Brewers: The publicity has kept the Brewers on the front page. If you believe that any PR is good PR, then the team is swimming in good vibes. Realistically, the media forced a change in leadership with its early lopsided reporting, and if that exposed a rift that was brewing all along, then maybe the shakeup was a good thing.
How the media has hurt the Brewers: They took what was essentially a non-story of office politics (the team would cut payroll and trade Sexson, two facts revealed last summer) and turned it into a full-blown controversy. They reported a one-sided story, only to backtrack later after the damage was done. They never explained that the payroll cuts began last season by dumping Eric Young, Mike DeJean and others.
Finally, they (OnMilwaukee.com included) bought the Brewers story, hook, line and sinker when Ulice Payne told us big changes were coming. They never asked how and why, because the story was too good to pass up.
Local Politicians:
Say what you want, politicians are like sharks. In this case, they have been circling the Brewers' dinghy for years. They don't like the private sector telling them how to spend public funds.
When the Brewers sprung a leak last month, many elected officials who had an axe to grind with club executives moved in for the kill. For whatever reason, politicians usually think they know what's best for the silent majority, even when they have no expertise in what they stand against. It gives them free air time and helps build name recognition. It's a weak attempt at letting their constituents know they're actually paying attention.
A number of politicians came forward to vent (Scott Walker's office sent letters to the media praising Payne). Whether it was pent up anger for making them sweat out the Miller Park debate or just to hear themselves speak on a topic other than Wisconsin's budget woes, most observers recognized it was just political grandstanding.
However, the one voice heard over the stammering was that of George Petak.
Petak, who once represented Racine County as its state senator and lost his seat in a recall election over his vote to make Miller Park a reality, is now a lobbying specialist in Madison.
He recently spoke out against the Selig family and its control of the team. He is disgusted with the lack of revenue put back into the club by ownership, which had promised to field a competitive team once the ballpark was built.
That was one ally the Brewers could ill-afford having turn on them.
How the politicians have helped the Brewers: They built Miller Park. They had the vision to see how replacing the aging County Stadium would further Milwaukee's reputation as a big-time city. Despite a public outcry, they realized that this very expensive stadium would cost Joe Taxpayer just a few bucks each year.
How the politicians hurt the Brewers: By going for blood -- now. If the politicians didn't trust the Brewers to field a competitive team, they should have thought about this before they authorized public funds to build the stadium. Most of the damage and mismanagement is in the past, and it's a little late to be looking for answers. And what if they find them? Will the state sue the Brewers for building a bad team? Will they knock down Miller Park to prove a point? Will they try to take the team over and do better? Of course not. Local politicians are up in arms now, but when they had the chance to get their guarantees in writing, they dropped the ball.
Brewers Fans:
{image2}Eleven, 21. No, that's not an address. Those numbers have come to stand for futility in Brewers' baseball history.
For fans, the last time the Brewers put a winning team on the field was in 1992; the season of Pat Listach earning rookie of the year honors and Cal Eldred and Chris Bosio each stringing together 10 game winning streaks. It was 11 seasons ago when the Brewers last reached the magical 81-win plateau -- the break-even mark -- and dared to surpass that indicator by 11 more victories.
For Brewers fans, the last time, the only time, the Brewers hung a pennant atop the stadium was in 1982; the year Robin Yount earned Most Valuable Player honors and Pete Vuckovich strung together a pair of eight-game winning streaks in route to the Cy Young Award. It was 21 seasons ago when the Brewers reached the World Series.
How do we put that into perspective? Ronald Reagan was in his first term as president; video recorders cost $800 and were only available in beta format; home computers were still on the blackboard; and children born to boomers are now planning graduation, from college.
Understandably, it's been a long time. Fans have endured much. Promises have gone unfulfilled. And the Brewers have feebly tried to compete in an industry that has seen the rich get richer and the poor become small-market.
No one can doubt fan loyalty in this community. Fans' wallets have opened more often than the Miller Park roof.
This latest emotional rollercoaster may soon come to the end of the line.
It comes down to choice -- a powerful tool. Brewers' fans swung this hammer in the past when baseball staged lockouts and strikes. They pounded the point when many objected to a tax to build the new ballpark. Each time, though, many slowly found themselves standing back in ticket lines.
Now, the toolbox is open again.
The decision to believe in the Brewers' plan -- to reduce payroll and wait out the storm until young prospects mature to the parent club -- is solely up to you.
The economy, the poor management moves and the firing of Payne are all legitimate reasons to stay away.
But Brewers baseball, like it or not, gives Milwaukee something Indianapolis, Charlotte, Memphis, Portland, New Orleans and even Washington D.C. don't have -- big league standing. That adds up to jobs, a steady cash flow into the community chest and national prestige.
Will that be enough for fans to return? Only time and fans love of the sport will tell.
How the fans have helped the Brewers: Despite dwindling numbers, they came out and supported their team. They packed County Stadium in its last year and Miller Park in its first. They showed up to watch the Beloit Snappers, and they got excited when Ulice Payne told them what they wanted to hear. Hope springs eternal for the real Brewers fan, even when that hope was placed in duds like Sean Berry, Marquis Grissom, Jeffrey Hammonds, etc. They believed Wendy Selig-Prieb when she promised that the Brewers were a "world-class team." The Brewers best player, Richie Sexson, is gone, and traded for what? More than anyone, and now more than ever: You have to feel sorry for the true blue Brew Crew fan.
How the fans have hurt the Brewers: It's hard to pin this one on the fans, but if there's anything to complain about, it's the shoddy attendance Miller Park has fielded. Granted, the Brewers' awful product on the field didn't help matters, but no one stayed home from Lambeau Field when the Packers stunk up the joint for two decades. A mere 90 miles away, Chicago faithful still pack Wrigley Field to watch a team that, except for the last few years, has been historically even worse than the Brewers (and they have Sammy Sosa!). Others blame high ticket prices, but the Brewers' remain lower than average. Still others blame the strike, but it's time for real baseball fans to get over a labor dispute now a decade old.
Next week: Baseball as an industry.
- Gregg Hoffmann, Jeff Sherman, Bobby Tanzilo, Andy Tarnoff and Mario Ziino contributed to this report.
